IKOT.PH
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has officially declared Camarines Sur free from avian influenza, five months after the province’s last recorded case of the highly pathogenic H5N9 bird flu virus. The declaration, issued through Memorandum Circular No. 27 signed recently follows a comprehensive disease control and surveillance campaign. The last confirmed case was detected […]
The World Bank is backing a five-year, $70 million initiative to create a co-insurance pool that will cushion Philippine agriculture from escalating climate-related risks. Set to roll out in 2026, the project aims to benefit 750,000 small farmers and fisherfolk by the time it wraps up in 2030, according to Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. “The […]
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the official launch in Bien Unido, Bohol of his flagship food program, “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”, an initiative that makes the P20-per-kilo rice available to thousands of qualified beneficiaries. This flagship initiative of Marcos carried out by the Department of Agriculture is a key step toward delivering affordable food to […]
The National Food Authority (NFA) is preparing to auction off up to 60,000 metric tons of aging rice stocks in October, aiming to prevent spoilage, free up warehouse space, and support rice supply amid an import suspension. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who chairs the NFA Council, said the move aligns with President Ferdinand […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will begin distributing P20-per-kilo rice to jeepney and tricycle drivers, further expanding the reach of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship food program, Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! “We will initially roll out the P20 rice program for tricycle and jeepney drivers on September 16 in five pilot areas,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu […]
The Department of Agriculture (DA) launched the expanded rollout of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”—the flagship food program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.–at select major fish ports in Luzon for the benefit of fisherfolk and registered fishery sector workers. Initially covering the Navotas Fish Complex in Metro Manila, Sual Fish Port in Pangasinan, and the […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. fired back at allegations of “ghost deliveries” of fertilizer raised by the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag), calling the claims unfounded and potentially damaging to the Department of Agriculture. “We’ve already admitted before the Senate that there were indeed delays in fertilizer deliveries in Regions 1, 2, and 4B. […]
The Department of Agriculture hailed the Food and Drug Administration’s approval for commercial use of the country’s first vaccine against avian influenza—a disease that has significantly harmed the poultry industry and poses risks to public health—as a major boost to the sector and the government’s food security goal. “With the FDA’s approval of Volvac B.E.S.T. […]
Camarines Sur Governor LRay Villafuerte and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. inspected the ongoing construction of a P500-million cold storage facility—a major infrastructure project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) that is expected to enhance food security, generate jobs, spur agri-investments, and significantly boost farmers’ incomes in Bicol and nearby regions. “This mega cold […]
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. is championing the Bicol region as a major force in the country’s cacao industry, aiming to boost national output while positioning the region as a reliable source of premium beans and specialty chocolate. Speaking at the first Bicol Cacao Congress and the fourth Cacao Festival, Tiu Laurel highlighted Bicol’s […]